Traditions
by MagCat
Summary: The holidays are a time for family to come together and celebrate, and among the regions of the Pokémon World there are traditions galore. How do five specific couples celebrate Christmas/the holidays? Contains: Combatshipping, Yellowshipping, Rocksmashshipping, Fatherlyshipping, and Egoshipping.


**Summary:**The holidays are a time for family to come together and celebrate, and among the regions of the Pokémon World there are traditions galore. How do five specific couples celebrate Christmas/the holidays? Contains: Combatshipping, Yellowshipping, Rocksmashshipping, Fatherlyshipping, and Egoshipping.

**Disclaimer: **So, yeah, I don't own Pokémon or anything of the franchise except the individual games and guides themselves. Would really like to own them, however, if only to give those Pokémon who need evolutions/bring back old characters/better and more mature storylines/etc….

**A/N:** So, yeah, here's my annual Christmas/holiday entry for the Pokémon fandom. It does have, of course, my OTP Egoshipping (GaryxMisty), but I found a list with the _actual accepted _ship names for some of my favorite couples (ie, Ritchie/Casey, Aaron/Maylene, etc.) and had a crazy idea. Since the Pokémon world is such a mix of what the world of today contains (and the fact that Kalos has _so much _of France in it is totally amazing), I thought it'd be kind of cool to give five couples different familial traditions/ways of celebrating the holidays (Christmas, mainly). Hence, this work. The drabbles were supposed to be short but, well, anyone who knows me at all knows that when I say short I mean miniature-length stories… Anyway, enjoy!

Key

"…" – conversation/worlds

'…' – thoughts

**_Traditions_**

**1. Combatshipping (AaronxMaylene)**

Aaron Desejo groaned as he stepped outside of the small chapel hidden amongst the skyscrapers of Hearthome City, a harsh wind causing his teeth to begin chattering. Even though he had grown up in Sinnoh and was therefore used to its colder-than-Kanto temperatures and climate, he still loathed winter with a vengeance.

Not to mention that his Pokémon loathed the cold weather as well.

"_Appresse-se querido!_ We must hurry home to set up for _Nochebuena_!" Aaron's grandmother (aged a sprightly seventy-five) motioned for her grandson to follow her as she finished wishing some friends a happy holiday. Aaron sighed and stuffed his hands further into his forest-green down jacket, wishing that he could find some way, any way to get out of the meal. Don't get him wrong; he loved his family, he really did, but the Midnight Mass followed by the rush home for a late meal then time spent assembling gifts for his young nieces and nephews before going to sleep for a faint two hours only to be awoken by said relatives jumping up and down on him was _**not **_what he wanted to be doing right now.

In fact, what he _**wanted**_ to be doing at this exact moment was snuggling in front of a fireplace with his girlfriend, who was irritatingly unavailable (the dojo attached to her gym had been struck by a herd of rampaging Tauros and she had to oversee the reconstruction of the building). Hearing his grandmother exclaim in happiness at seeing her son and daughter-in-law (Aaron's parents) appear next to her, Aaron ducked further into his scarf in an attempt to avoid the wind.

"Aaron! _Anda logo! Precisamos da sua ajuda arrumar a mesa!_" Moving into a light jog Aaron sped down the street and ducked into the doorway of his family's small home, once again musing on the house's size. Normally, it was small on space for the Desejo family (parents and five children, not including Aaron who was the oldest and the only one out of the house permanently), but with the holidays extended family of all types crammed into the small space and made the enclosed space even tighter. However, no matter how many times he offered his family the chance to use a portion of his savings as an Elite Four member to move into bigger housing quarters or even add on to the present house, he was continually rebuffed.

Rolling his eyes at the fact Aaron hung up his jacket and scarf, along with shucking off his boots to rest on the woven mat in the foyer. Padding into the kitchen in his sock-clad feet Aaron brushed a fringe of green hair from his forehead and went to take a platter of ham from his maternal aunt. Turning around he proceeded into the crowded dining room, moving around his cousins playing with dolls or running around playing 'cops and robbers.' Placing it on the table he received a kiss on the head from his mother before heading back to the kitchen to grab another bowl of food, balancing both it and a basket of rolls as he made his way into the dining room once again.

This time, rather than reenter the kitchen the sound of the doorbell pulled him from his routine. Grumbling underneath his breath at the chaos surrounding him Aaron stepped over a collection of toy cars on the floor and headed for the front door. Opening it he froze at seeing his girlfriend's rose-tinted eyes and mussed hair, both hidden beneath a knitted cap standing on the doorstep, a bag slung over her shoulder and her usual bare feet clad in fur-tipped snow boots.

"Maylene! What are you doing here?"

Maylene grinned and shrugged, replying, "Well, construction finished early due to excessive snowfall, and one man fell off the roof of the Gym and had to be hospitalized, meaning that the work crew was short. They postponed reconstruction of the place until the New Year when the guy in the hospital is ready to work again. Therefore, I decided to take you up on your invitation to join you and your family for the holidays." She paused, her smile dimming a bit as a thought came to her. "That _**is **_okay, right?"

Aaron opened his mouth to reply when he heard his mother yell at him to close the door because he was letting all of the heat out. Rolling his eyes Aaron motioned Maylene inside and closed the door behind her.

He watched as Maylene divested herself of her outer coverings and placed her boots next to his own. He smirked at the wildly patterned socks that she had on, knowing that it was too cold (even in a house as full of people as his that became increasingly warm due to body heat) to go barefoot and knowing that his grandfather would be driven to insanity with the Fighting-type specialist's socks. Seeing Maylene move to collect her duffle bag he reached for it first and swung it over his shoulder, internally wincing as he felt his knees and back protesting its weight.

"Geez, Kämpfen, what do you have in here, rocks?!" Aaron joked, eyes widening at the sheepish look he received in return. "Seriously?"

"Well, I have to keep up with my training or Lucario won't let me live it down." She looked away and then back, adding, "Besides, there are some gifts in there too for your family and you. It's not much, but I figured it was the least I could do if I was gonna come in here unannounced for the holidays."

"_Quão doce! _You are so sweet, _minha querida!_" Aaron's grandmother popped up behind Aaron out of nowhere – almost giving him a heart attack in the process – and planted a chaste kiss on Maylene's cheek before surveying her grandson. "Aaron, take good care of this _pouco pêssego; _she is _muito bonita."_ With that, she took Maylene's duffle bag from the Elite Four member almost effortlessly and left the two blushing adults in the foyer.

"Well, uh," began Aaron looking sideways away from Maylene attempting to hide his flushing cheeks. "Would you like to meet more of my family?" He held out a hand, still not looking at his girlfriend. Since when he was so shy around her?! He grinned when he felt her (still) gloved hand take his a moment later.

"That would be nice." Maylene smiled at Aaron before looking around and noticing the hand-carved Christmas tree that stood guard over the living room asked, "So. What exactly do you guys do on _Nochebuena?"_

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**2. Yellowshipping (RitchiexCasey)**

"How much longer?" Casey Signit groaned moving an arm to grip her growling stomach. Her boyfriend Ritchie Lagner shot her a look before breaking out into a small smile. He sympathized with her but knew better than to say so out loud. His grandfather was watching and the last time Ritchie had complained about the long wait between midnight on Christmas Eve and the start of dinner he had received a smart smack on his head for it with an ebony, hand-carved cane.

Sometimes he swore he could still feel a bump on his head from said smack if he rubbed his head enough when he took off his seemingly ever-present hat.

Glancing around warily (Grandfather Nicholas was engrossed in conversation with an old woman that he vaguely recognized as having attended some of his grandfather's monthly _Shogi_ tournaments) and leaned down to whisper, "Soon. We only have to finish the story-telling portion, find our spots at the table, say prayers and then we can eat." He cast his eyes back to his grandfather and sighed in relief. Good. Grandfather Nicholas hadn't noticed him whispering to Casey and not devoting 100% of his attention to old Grandmother Mona's wheezing voice as she retold the story _Stantler the Red-Nosed Deer_ for the tenth time that night.

She was experiencing memory loss and no matter how many times he attempted to tell Nicholas that Mona needed reminding that she was _not _to eat breakfast four times a day or wrap her famous dessert (Jello Ribbon Salad) in wrapping paper his grandfather ignored him. The next time Mona wrapped her pet Purrloin in a box and Nicholas received a series of scratches from the Unovian feline he was going to laugh his ass off (in private, of course; Ritchie wasn't _that _suicidal).

Casey smiled in relief and leaned her head on Ritchie's shoulder, inwardly praising Mew that the stories would end soon. This was the first Christmas that she had spent away from her family in New Bark Town, partly because she wanted to spend the holidays with her boyfriend and also because she and her family had had a massive fight over her continuing to attempt to conquer the Kalos League. She had washed out of the previous season's league due to an unfortunate triple knockout in round eight by a super-strong Lucario.

Damn that jackal had been strong… now she wanted one, even if she was still into her yellow-and-black themed/Electabuzz-inspired team. Meganium still wore the circlet she'd given him the first day they'd become partners and refused to remove it.

Now, however, she regretted agreeing to participate in all of the Lagner family traditions. She'd been offered an out by Ritchie's aunt (he'd been raised by his aunt and uncle as his parents had passed away in a fire when he'd been two), but Casey had resolutely decided to participate and see what all of the commotion was. Her family generally just exchanged gifts; simple and plain. Ritchie's family, however, had originally come from the Kalos region a good hundred years previous and brought their holiday traditions with them, especially those concerning Christmas.

This particular tradition involved fasting from dawn until dusk on Christmas Eve, after which was a magnificent feast, followed by gift exchanges underneath the brightly lit Christmas tree. Ritchie had warned Casey that the fasting was tedious and seemed never-ending for someone who attempted it for the first time on Christmas, but Casey had adamantly declared that she could do it.

She was regretting it now.

Turning her gaze back to Ritchie's grandmother, she breathed a sigh of relief as the woman closed a worn copy of _'Twas the Night Before Christmas_ and turned to the seated family members, and, speaking softly announced, "And now, dears, it is time for us to dine. Let us go to the dining hall." With that, she heaved herself to her feet and, taking a proffered hand from another grandson (Ritchie's cousin Nigel) she led the familial procession towards the dining room. Ritchie got to his feet first and offered a hand for Casey to do the same; smirking, the baseball-loving trainer ignored the limb and moved to a standing position on her own.

"How did I know you'd do that?" Ritchie asked, chuckling, as he stuck his hand back into his pocket. Casey shrugged, before glancing towards the dining room, which she could see was already packed with people. She then looked at Ritchie for a moment, biting her lip before coming to a decision. Stepping closer to her boyfriend, she leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, something that they had yet to do. Sure, they'd been involved for a few months, but kissing hadn't gone beyond chaste kisses on the cheek.

This, this was something that both had wanted for some time, but neither had been courageous enough to take the first step… until now.

A minute passed, broken only by the sounds of silverware clattering and chatter from Ritchie's family; no one had discovered the missing couple as of yet. Casey slowly pulled away, eyes closed so as to save herself the humiliation of seeing rejection in Ritchie's eyes, that she had made the wrong move, that she had done something wrong, that –

Ritchie reached out and pulled Casey closer to him, pressing his own kiss to Casey's lips his a mite more aggressive than hers. The intensity had Casey opening her eyes a slit before widening them, seeing the emotions in Ritchie's eyes. Smiling, she slowly moved her arms up and around her boyfriend's neck, interlacing her fingers behind his neck and pulling him that much closer.

He didn't resist.

After a few moments, both pulled away for air, breathing heavily. Looking at each other Ritchie briefly closed his eyes before opening them, a laugh escaping him. Wrapping his arms around Casey's waist he leaned down and whispered into his girlfriend's ear, "You know, Case, gifts aren't until **after** dinner." Grinning, he proceeded to pull his girlfriend into the dining room, knowing that he was going to be grilled about their relationship by a too nosy Nicholas but, for once, he didn't care. Everything was perfect in his world, and that was what he wanted.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**3. Rocksmashshipping (BrawlyxRoxanne)**

Not many knew, but Brawly Dennis had known Roxanne Knyga for all of his life, having been next-door neighbors with her until the age of seven when his father had moved him to Dewford Town on a whim.

Brawly hadn't forgiven the man for a few years.

Because of this, however, the Dewford Gym Leader knew that his friend detested the holidays, especially Christmas, as her family was extremely religious and she… was not. Even from the age of five, Roxanne had much preferred curling up in the bay window of her home with a new book rather than gather with her family to decorate a small fir tree that came from the Petalburg Woods. The lavishly decorated tree then sat front and center in the living room until the Epiphany ended, which was then followed by a more subdued celebration for the end of the holiday season.

Brawly could see why Roxanne hated the holiday season; however, on the other hand, he himself enjoyed watching the decorations go up around the small island he called home, the carols that began to sound on the radio from DJ Kevin in Lilycove City, the toy drives for the orphans scattered throughout the region at all of the Pokémarts and department stores (especially the one in Lilycove City, which did more business than all of the other branches combined), and the odd "Santa Claus" present on a street corner, ringing a hand bell merrily in hopes of generating revenue for charities. Brawly always donated handsomely to these brave men, who often endured weather of all types to try to raise money, and knew that his fellow Gym Leaders often did so as well.

When questioned as to her preference in charity, Roxanne had smiled softly and replied that she liked to visit the Rustboro City Orphanage on Christmas Day herself and personally hand out gifts. When Brawly teased her about the soft smile Roxanne glared, threw up her walls and returned to her book, leaving him rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

This year, however, would be different.

Brawly nervously paced the small wooden dock that resided just outside his personal residence on Dewford, located on the other side of Granite Cave; for privacy. He hoped that Roxanne had gotten his invitation and accepted; if she didn't, man oh man would he feel like a fool. The sound of a motor broke the air and the teal-haired surfer glanced up and allowed a smile to split his face; Mr. Briney's small boat edged its way up to the dock and he took to the wooden planks to meet the captain and (hopefully) passenger.

An elderly man with a Wingull on his shoulder, a tattered captain's hat tipped at a right angle on his head emerged first, overly tan from years in the sunlight. He tipped his head in Brawly's direction before turning back towards the boat and offering a hand to what the Gym Leader assumed (and hoped) was Roxanne.

A moment later Roxanne emerged, her hair in its customary pigtails but her outfit much more relaxed than Brawly was used to seeing her. Instead of her usual one-piece school uniform, rose tights and heels, the Rustboro Gym Leader was dressed in pale blue jeans, a rose sweater and a dark blue jacket, made out of what Brawly believed to be shorn Mareep-wool. Sneakers were in place of heels, yet she still carried her ever-present tome, inside of which he knew rested a number of her Pokémon, among them her trusted Probopass, Nosepass and Graveler. A small duffel bag was slung horizontally across her chest, and her wine-red eyes met Brawly's, slightly crinkling as she sent him a smile.

"Mr. Briney, many thanks for bringing me here," Roxanne spoke after a moment, turning her back to Brawly and refocusing her attention on the weathered sea captain. She reached into a coat pocket on the premise of paying the captain but was halted by Brawly's tanned and calloused hand resting on her arm. Staring at the limb, Roxanne turned her eyes to meet his blue orbs and frowned. "I can pay my own fare, thank you very much."

Brawly rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Briney, who seemed amused at the interplay. "Did you receive my earlier payment?" At his nod the Fighting-type specialist smirked and turned to an increasingly furious Roxanne. "Honestly, Rox, you should know me by now. If I'm having you come here for the holidays, then the least I can do is pay your way." When she opened her mouth to once more protest Brawly waved it away and tugged her in the direction of land, calling over his shoulder to Briney that a suite was booked at the local inn for the length of the holidays if he wished, and if not then fuel and a meal were waiting. Briney watched the two Leaders head off and turned to Peeko, whispering something into the Wingull's ear that had him laughing and the marine bird rolling his eyes.

That evening, after Roxanne had settled in (much to her ire, she'd been placed on the ground floor down the corridor from the living room, which played host to a decent-sized, barren fir tree) and eaten dinner with Brawly (under protest), she took her favorite tome and proceeded to curl up in a bay window that faced the ocean. She cracked the window open a bit so as to hear the waves breaking as they encountered the shoreline.

Hey, she may be a Rock-type specialist, but she admired the ocean just as much as Brawly did. However, she absolutely refused point-blank to learn how to surf, no matter how many times he begged to be allowed to teach her.

From the doorway to the living room, Brawly looked at his best friend and groaned softly, leaning back so that his head hit the wall. This plan had _so_ not been thought out well. Honestly, it hadn't, and when Hariyama and Machoke had attempted to warn him, well, he'd blown them off, thinking that he knew better.

Wouldn't they get the last laugh, hmm?

After a moment, Brawly squared his shoulders and mentally psyched himself up. He could get Roxanne into the holiday spirit. He could, indeed.

Entering the room Brawly made his way over to an old radio and, fiddling with the buttons smiled when he found DJ Kevin's station, praising Arceus that the man was in the Christmas spirit and had proceeded to play a selection of older carols and songs meant to encourage festivity. Glancing at Roxanne out of the corner of his eye he saw her move slightly, as if readjusting to better hear the radio. He deliberately turned the volume down so as to further tempt Roxanne into leaving her comfortable seat.

With that part done, Brawly proceeded to drag a box marked "Lights" closer to him and, opening it saw bunches of Christmas lights bound together with rubber bands, extension cords resting on top. Pulling everything out he winced at the noise he made then shrugged, figuring that it wouldn't make a difference; after all, the lights were going up on the tree and not the box.

Ten minutes later, Brawly had somehow become tangled up in the strings of lights, cursing as he attempted to free a leg only to trip and land on his ass, hitting his head on the carpeted floor.

"Damn it!" Lifting his head up, Brawly glared at the offending tree, which had a single measly string of lights on it, the rest oh-so-conveniently tangled around him. Hearing what sounded like a cut-off snort of laughter he quickly switched his attention to the bay window, only to droop in disappointment. Roxanne was still frozen in the same position she'd been previously; in fact, she seemed to have curled further into herself rather than shift her attention to the tree.

After some more struggling, Brawly managed to free himself and, deciding to take another approach to his mission thought about what to say. Deciding on his words, he proceeded to string more lights around the tree, successfully avoiding further entanglement before remarking, "You know, Rox, this reminds me of when we were kids."

Roxanne didn't respond, but Brawly continued talking. "I mean, I guess in some ways I'm still a kid, but I mean when we were really young and used to live together in Rustboro. That one Christmas our families decided to celebrate _Heiliger Abend_ together, I remember how impatient we were for the _Christkind_ to come. In fact, if memory serves, you were more impatient than me!" A twitch of the arm and a faint crinkling of paper; success?

Finishing with the lights, Brawly nodded in satisfaction then closed up the now-empty cardboard box, setting it aside to put away later. Pulling a box labeled "Ornaments #1" towards him he continued speaking, almost mindlessly, "I mean, _Christkind _was always good to us, because we were particularly good _kinder_ at that time of year, but this one time you were literally jumping up and down waiting for the bell to ring. When it did, you pushed me down and ran to the tree, wanting to be the first one to open a gift, only to cry when _Tante _Giselascolded you for being so impatient." He laughed as he pulled out a tissue paper-wrapped crystal ball, staring into its polished surface, "In fact, you were the last one to open any _Weihnachtsgeschenke_ that night." Lancing a metal ornament hook through a hole Brawly hung the ornament as high up on the tree as he could reach at the moment; he was tall, certainly, but most definitely not Wallace Zaliti or Bruno Stryd's towering heights.

A few moments of silence passed, during which Brawly hung a dozen more ornaments and Roxanne continued to read. However, as Brawly unwrapped a handmade ornament the snapping of a book had him swinging his head to look at Roxanne only to unconsciously gulp at the predatory look in her eye…aimed at him.

"Uh, Rox? You ok?"

"Ok? Hmm. Let me think, Brawly. Am I ok when I've been subjected to everything _Christmas_ and _tacky _and _non-essential, annoying _and _useless __**pieces of shit**_ since I arrived? Am I ok when everything we've done tonight, from _Christvesper_ to decorating some stupid tree is meant to somehow rejuvenate my agreement and likability for the holiday season? Yes, Brawly, do tell me if everything is ok."

"Well, if you say so…"

"Bullshit. Brawly, you're not as good of a liar as you seem to think you are." Crossed arms and narrowed eyes completed Roxanne's façade. "Now, I want the truth. Why am I here?" At Brawly's avoidance she stepped forward and stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Again. Why. am. I. here?"

Brawly flinched at the touch and looked away from Roxanne's probing eyes, mind racing. Dare he reveal the truth, or should he conceal it and lie? Breathing in and out for a few moments Brawly closed his eyes and made his decision. Turning to face Roxanne he pulled her hand away from his arm and brought it to his face, opening his eyes and watching for any hint of a changed expression as he pressed a chaste kiss to her palm. At her surprised look Brawly nearly lowered her hand but suddenly didn't want to, not now. Not when he was so damn close…

"Brawly? What, what are you doing?" The usually verbose and confident Roxanne was at a loss for words; was at a loss for drawing a conclusion. Just what was he doing, this, this, _smuk ryk_?! What was he doing, kissing her palm as if they were _en romantisk par, _or even _sammen romantisk_?!

It was nonsense. It was tripe. It was…

Roxanne's thoughts slammed to a halt as Brawly used his grip on her arm to pull her closer, wrapping his strong arms around her. "Brawly, what –"

This time, he didn't let her finish as he pressed a kiss to her lips, tilting his head at an angle so as not to bump noses (Kyogre knew that if they did any sense of romance or rightness or anything not awkward would be ruined). When any sound of protest died as Roxanne closed her eyes and didn't resist Brawly more firmly wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her fully into his embrace. He didn't press the kiss further, figuring that he was already risking a lot as it was in doing this without any permission of any sort from Roxanne; however, the fact that she wasn't protesting, hadn't done anything to imply that she disliked his actions, well –

Roxanne suddenly pulling away and slapping Brawly's check had him wincing in pain and embarrassment, lifting a hand to his now tender check. Roxanne stepped back from her friend, arms moving to encircle her stomach and waist in a defensive gesture. "Roxanne, I –"

"Stop. Just, stop." Roxanne glanced away before moving towards the bay window. "Brawly, I can't do this. Not now, not ever." She didn't need to turn around to know the roiling emotions in her friend's eyes at her words, the surprised gasp causing her heart to do (unnecessary and unwelcome) beautifly wing-beats. "We can't do this, Brawly, we can't. Not now, not ever, and really, we're not suited, and all of this, this, this," Roxanne waved a hand around aimlessly, searching for a word that she couldn't think of, "this." She reached for her previous tome and turned around, eyes focused on the title but found herself walking into Brawly.

"Rox, listen to me here." The seriousness in his voice had Roxanne glancing up at him; before she could say anything he continued, "I didn't bring you here to do… to do, well, that." It seemed like Brawly was as lost for words on certain matters as Roxanne herself was, "I brought you here to try to make the holidays more enjoyable, to try to get you to see that it's not about all of the decorations and hype, but spending time with friends, with family, with…" Brawly's voice trailed off as he bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to reveal something that he even was unsure of being true. Bringing a hand up he took one step closer to Roxanne (who had backed up when he realized whom she run into) and gently grabbed her chin, bringing it so that he was able to see into his eyes. "Roxanne, please. Let me in. Let me in to help." At Roxanne's nervous look Brawly took one step closer and whispered into her ear, "Please."

Roxanne closed her eyes and felt her mind spinning, running through all of the available options. Sure, she could say no, say that the idea of becoming a supporter of the holidays – or rather Christmas – was reprehensible and unwanted. Yet… yet, maybe… maybe… She opened her eyes and looked into Brawly's eyes, the eyes that reminded her of a clear summer's day, that changed with his emotions, going from calm when happy to stormy when upset. Steeling herself she reached up and clutched the tanned hand that framed her face, making a decision that would change her (and his, she guessed) life forever.

"Alright."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**4. Fatherlyshipping (FalknerxJanine)**

Janine Watanabe huffed in annoyance as she regarded the disheveled kitchen in front of her. Her father, Koga, scoffed from his place at the island separating the kitchen and dining room.

"Daughter, do take your time cooking the _presepe_. After all, we ninja may be trained to follow a strict regimen and diet, but even we need to eat sometime soon." He smirked and ducked as a set of chopsticks flew over his head, embedding them into the plaster wall next to a dark blue clock. "Your aim needs work."

Janine rolled her eyes and turned back to the counter, taking stock of her current ingredients. Sticky rice, seaweed paper, edamame, eel, shrimp, crab, lobster, a selection of fresh vegetables from the local market stalls, both fresh and dried fruits and a host of other items; however, no meat was present. Janine and her family celebrated the Christmas holidays a bit differently from their friends (no one in the Johto Elite Four or Janine's fellow Kanto Gym Leaders really understood their odd way of honoring their Christmas traditions), one of the main reasons that she and her father tended to celebrate alone; after all, not many people agreed with the "no meat" policy that _presepe _required.

Usually, Koga's younger sister and Janine's Aunt Aya joined them as well, but this year she was on a year-long training mission with Roxie Zehir in Unova. The guitarist had been difficult to convince, but the offer of training with an _actual Mew-damned ninja_ had been too tempting to resist, as had the offer of a Venomoth, a Pokémon that was too rare to be found in Unova or Kalos, but was common in Kanto and Johto.

This year, however, something else was different too.

"Do you require assistance?" Koga asked gruffly (and, yet, gently) moving the remaining tea leaves in his cup around with a pinky finger, squinting when he thought he saw an Absol or Furfrou; stupid images were blurry anyway.

"I've got it covered, father," Janine gritted out quickly skewering the eel and placing it on the grill pan, followed by dropping the edamame and some of the vegetables into a pot of roiling water. The rice that was not for sushi was put into a bamboo basket and placed to steam while the sushi was quickly and efficiently wrapped, pieces of shorn ginger delicately placed on top.

As Janine continued preparing the meal she thought over the upcoming celebrations. This year was the first that she had officially hosted the _presepe _as her _Zia_ Aya had done it in the past. Traditionally, in her family, the females had cooked the meal while the males did the decorations; with the continually deteriorating size of the Watanabe clan and its allies in the past fifty years, however, gender roles had become somewhat redundant. This meant a revision of who could lead the clan and monitor the Fuchsia Gym for potential allies or members; females had been banned in the past but now, well, it was a different story.

Granted, it had taken Janine a long time to convince her father to allow her to go out for the Gym Leader test then pass his _own _test before he relinquished the family gym to her. Her mastery of Poison-types was also becoming better and this, her fifth year as a Gym Leader saw her best record yet: 300 wins, 220 losses and 75 ties, only bested by her fellow leaders Misty Waterflower of Cerulean City and Ritchie Lagner of Viridian City.

She was proud of that record, and Koga was too; though it had taken him some time to admit it. Janine had confided in her boyfriend Falkner Haizea that she'd held back tears of joy until she had reached the small, private shrine of her mother Hanako where she'd silently cried at the fact that finally, _finally _her father had recognized the talent his daughter possessed.

Falkner had remained silent for a moment before remarking that while he was glad that Janine's father was recognizing her obvious talent his father Hayate (Walker to Chuck in Cianwood City) was still the superior trainer. This had brought the familiar banter over whose father was better to the forefront once more, and in doing so reestablished the routine relationship they had. In fact, this one acknowledgment had set in motion further events that would lead to the two getting together and begin dating (courtship in Falkner's book) a little over six months ago.

With Hayate still in the wind and all of Falkner's other relatives either dead, too busy training or visiting other places in the Johto Region Janine had invited her boyfriend to celebrate Christmas with her father and her in Fuchsia City, an invitation that Falkner was hesitant to accept. The Flying-type specialist knew of the strained relationship between father and daughter (Ho-Oh knows that he had been on the receiving end of several rants about said relationship over the years) and wasn't sure that his coming to Fuchsia would be appreciated, much less do anything to lessen the tension between the two ninja. However, at Janine's pout and numerous follow-up requests (never begging, for a ninja _does not_ beg) Falkner accepted.

Koga was still in the dark about Falkner's arrival and Janine had a feeling that she'd made a bad decision in concealing that there would be a trio celebrating the holidays instead of a duo. A series of knocks emanating from the foyer further down the hallway had Koga's head snapping to face the front door and a miniaturized Net Ball in his hand. Janine froze from her position at the stove turning the eel over so that it wouldn't burn.

Neither ninja moved as each strained to catch another movement, another sound. Instantly dismissing the sound of their pet Skorupi's claws on the wooden floor both ninja attempted to figure out what the sound was. Janine, of course, had an idea but refused to say anything for fear of setting her father off and endangering Falkner's life.

Then, of course, the idiot had to go and knock on the door again. Skorupi (who for some reason had developed an intense dislike of the sound of hands knocking on wood) bared his fangs and moved as quickly as he could towards the door. Janine figured that it was time to face the music (or so Misty liked to say) and was about to leave the food preparation and _attempt _to make it to the door before her father but in her haste her sock-clad feet slipped on the floor and she went flying into a closet door, ending up on her ass with Ariados popping out of her Pokéball mandibles clicking in concern at the small trail of blood from a slight scratch on her trainer's forehead.

"Great job Janine. Way to be a fucking klutz," she scolded herself using the same door she'd run into to help herself get back onto her feet. She winced when she noted that her ankle was a bit bruised, probably from landing on it awkwardly when she and the closet door became good friends. She held onto the wall and slowly made her way to the front foyer noting that another hall closet that had been converted into a weapons cache was open, door ajar. 'Shit, shit, shit.'

She finally reached the foyer and winced when she saw her boyfriend and father in a stare/glare-off, each male's arms crossed across his chest, her father with a handful of shuriken and daggers in his palms, Falkner with what appeared to be a short sword and sheath in his. Each looked ready to strike, and that was something that she _could not _allow to happen… even if it meant getting sliced up into ribbons.

"Calm down –" Janine began but was interrupted when Koga turned his head slightly a glare now aimed at her.

"Daughter, do you mind telling me why a _samurai_ is in my house?" Janine cringed at the acid-laced insult to Falkner's familial legacy knowing that while his family may have been samurai in tradition and followed a strange code called _Bushidō _Falkner really didn't follow it much, partly because his father hadn't taught him much before leaving (abandoning) him and his grandfather spent most (all) of his time in Sprout Tower meditating with Bellsprout and didn't see it as a necessary part in raising his grandson.

"Janine, if I'm causing too much trouble I can go…" Falkner deliberately left the end of his sentence open knowing that in doing so he was pinning the next decision (and therefore the remaining peace and/or war of the holidays) on her. Damn samurai and bird trainer and sword-wielding trainer and…

Oh, right. Defusing the situation before one or both of the men ended up in the hospital on Christmas Eve. Yeah, good place for an Elite Four member/former Gym Leader and a current Gym Leader and leading specialist on Flying-type Pokémon to be.

"Stop this immediately." Janine punctuated her statement with a quick leap that had her centered perfectly between the two men, a handful of Drapion poison-tipped senbon needles in her hands, aimed at each male's jugular (and not stumbling when she landed on her bad ankle was a nice bonus). Ariados had moved so that she hung above her mistress, a poison-tipped claw aimed at the two men. "This is not how it was supposed to go; not at all, and you testosterone-filled males are ruining it." She turned to face Falkner, sending him a silent look that had him (reluctantly) putting away his tantō, sheathing it inside an inner pocket in his haori, which seemed fancier than usual.

"Janine. Stop this at once." Koga's voice was low and subdued, power radiating from it as befit the leader of Fuchsia City's main clan of ninja and an Elite Four member. When Janine refused to move his scowl deepened. "Janine."

"Father." The father-daughter duo locked eyes leaving Falkner to awkwardly observe the silent contest, eyes moving away from the two to look around the foyer. He knew that Koga and Janine were both hardly home – especially both at the same time – but even so the place looked warm and inviting. Scrolls filled with streams of kanji and kana, along with a handful of other languages that he didn't understand lined the walls, as did a few framed photos of what seemed to be battles. Long-since retired weapons hung along the walls as well, among them a well-worn katana and naginata, and warm wooden floors ran the length of the foyer and continued into the rest of the house (or so he assumed).

This home seemed so… lived in, likeable and personable, unlike his own, the majority of which consisted of gray-tinted tile floors and utilitarian furniture, mainly black and brown in tone. Leftovers from when his father lived in the small studio apartment located on a hill overlooking Violet City Falkner hadn't really spent much time there, as his grandfather practically lived in Sprout Tower; therefore, he did too. Janine's place, though, it felt… warm. Welcoming.

Well, it would if father and daughter would just stop glaring at each other…

After five more minutes Falkner sighed and took a step forward, gently pushing Janine behind him and ignoring her noises of protest, absently blocking a series of fast punches Janine launched at his head with the back of his arm. Looking up at Koga he took a deep breath and bowed, knowing that if the man wanted to he could maim him with the shuriken, the daggers or even both if he so chose; after all, he was baring his neck to the man. Janine watched her boyfriend, unable to breathe for fear of what was going to happen.

"You, a _samurai_, would bow to me, a ninja?" Disgust laced Koga's voice at the word samurai, yet respect at what the young man in front of him was doing. Respect mixed with a healthy dose of confusion, yes, but respect nonetheless.

"I bow not because one of us is superior to the other in terms of history or familial legacy but because you are Janine's father, and respecting our parents is as much a part of _Bushidō _as it is for ninja." Falkner kept his voice even but even Koga, unfamiliar with the young man sensed the hidden frustration.

After a moment Koga put all of his shuriken away in a pouch hidden on his belt, as well as four of his five daggers; this one he proceeded to balance on his index finger. "Respect accepted, but why are you here?"

Falkner opened his mouth to respond when Janine moved to intercept the hidden dagger that her father had thrown for Falkner's side. Grasping it in her palm (and ignoring the blood now slowly dripping to the floor) she moved and took one of her senbon, pointing it at Koga as she did so and stating, "I invited Falkner, Father, for he had no family available nor willing to celebrate the holidays with him and felt that as my significant other he deserved to revel in traditions and festivities among those who cared." Seeing her father's face slowly turn red in anger she took a deep breath and added, "Yes. Falkner Haizea _**is**_my significant other, Father, and I would recommend that you accept this sooner rather than later."

"But Janine-"

"No buts, Father." Janine took her father's dagger and flipped it at him watching as he quickly caught it and his face paled slightly at seeing his daughter's blood covering the blade. Turning to Falkner she grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him to his feet, pressing a short but intense kiss to his lips before beginning to pull him with her towards the kitchen. "Falk, you ass, you're late. You brag to me all the time about how your father was never late and yet you are, even though you admire him so…" Falkner, recognizing Janine's limp instantly draped one of her arms over his shoulder to take on some of her weight and whispered that she was not to argue with him for it was a battle she was unable to win.

As the sounds of his daughter's voice and what he assumed was the male's voice ('Her _boyfriend_!' a voice that annoyingly sounded like Nathan Surge's taunted him in his head) faded, Koga took in the dagger, the blood on its blade already beginning to dry. He regarded the doorway once more and this time noted a set of neatly sliced holes in the doorway, done such that with one push the entire frame would collapse as would the lintel supporting the balcony on the second floor.

'Interesting. Little runt seems to have some talent,' Koga mused reluctantly praising the male – his name was something like Haizea, right? – and turned to Skorupi, who had crept up onto his shoulder. "Do you believe he should be allowed to stay for _presepe_ and the remainder of the holidays?"

"Sko! Rupi, Skorupi!" The miniature scorpion waved his pincers in a manner that the Elite Four Poison-type specialist interrupted as positive and an agreement that Haizea be allowed to stay. Damn it.

"Very well." A heavy sigh and the sound of a dagger hitting wood emanated from the doorway to his home. "I suppose I can… _survey_ this male and see if he is worthy of dating the heir to the clan and current Fuchsia City Gym Leader." Koga turned and made his way back to the kitchen, the sounds of arguing between the two young adults filling an often too-empty house with sound and the occasional bark of laughter. Perhaps this Christmas wouldn't be so mundane after all…

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**5. Egoshipping (GaryxMisty)**

"Come on Mist! It's just a tiny plant!"

"For the last time, _Oak, _over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged if you idiots don't stop arguing!" A grunt and a purple-haired male found his way to the ground, dirt flying as he landed one of the numerous trails surrounding the Oak Pokémon Ranch in Pallet Town, Kanto. The male – Paul Andreas – glared as Dawn Valen glared in return. The two Sinnoh natives, along with a host of other friends Ash Ketchum had made along his journey had all been invited (or blackmailed in some cases…) into spending the holidays in Pallet Town. Paul and his brother Reggie had arrived alongside Dawn and her mother Johanna, having caught the same (and for that matter, last) ship leaving Sunyshore City a few days earlier. Reggie and Johanna had been forced to play mediator between the two young adults who were both mature on their own but, when together in the same room tended to revert back to their ten year-old selves.

However, they were two of the saner people present at the celebrations. Misty Waterflower had been one of the first to arrive, as Cerulean City was only three days' journey away by bike; one by flight. Using her recently acquired Swanna from Gym Leader Skyla Reiss in Unova Misty had landed in front of the Ketchum residence and been subjected to one of Delia's infamous hugs. Hearing that Ash had already arrived (she'd almost fallen over in shock) Misty had quickly taken off for the Oak residence, having learned that the current Kalosian League Champion was visiting his collection of Pokémon; she wanted to surprise him.

While en route Misty had collided with Gary Oak, home from researching both fossils and how past ecosystems had led to numerous variations in ancient Pokémon in Unova and Sinnoh for the holidays. The two, upon recognizing each other proceeded to get into a yelling match that had had the local sheriff forcefully breaking them up and putting both into a cell to "cool your heads off 'fore it gets all physical-like.' The two had vocally protested but when confronted with an angry Houndour and Growlithe pair they had submitted and waited out the "cooling period" with thinly veiled irritation.

When they were released a few hours (three) later with a warning to "be good," the two proceeded to head up to the Oak Pokémon Ranch, each resolutely not looking at the other. Upon arrival an oblivious Tracey and strangely observant Ash and Samuel Oak greeted the two young adults, with the elder professor inviting Misty, Ash and Delia over for dinner. Misty and Gary shot poisonous looks at the other behind Samuel's back when Ash agreed for the trio and each resolved to kill the other via eye sight if possible.

Over the next few days the tension between them became nearly unbearable, and the arrival of more of Ash's friends both increased and decreased the pressure. May and Max Maple conspired to pull Misty aside and when they heard her story were firmly on her side; Dawn Valen and Barry Keltainen sided with Gary, as they were more familiar with the brunet (also, Barry was coming off an insanely long relationship that had ended badly and so was against anything that might give a _woman_ an advantage; needless to say Dawn snorted at Barry's reasoning and proceeded to ignore any of Barry's rants). Paul, Zoey Nagano and Kenny Winters chose to remain neutral, whereas Cilan Terzetto attempted to mediate between the two young adults. This resulted in his brothers Chili and Cress laughing their asses off in the background as the verdant-eyed male ended up with a nasty black eye and an overly concerned Iris Anguis attempting to slap a rare cut of beef over said eye to try to cut down on the swelling.

Needless to say, things were at a boiling point right now, and both Gary and Misty were ready to snap at the other and commit homicide if given the opportunity. Gary was apparently tempting fate with his obsession with Christmas traditions and Misty's hatred of them, particularly his singing Christmas carols twenty-four-seven and the hanging of mistletoe from seemingly every doorway in his grandfather's mansion.

"Ash, can I kill him; please?!" Misty begged the raven-haired Champion, who was currently brushing his lead Tauros's coat, the Bull Pokémon lowing in pleasure. The once oblivious trainer didn't stop his task as he 'hmmed,' not saying anything but obviously thinking. When Ash didn't say anything after a moment Misty huffed impatiently and began tapping her foot, the grass muffling the sound of sneaker hitting ground. "Well?"

"Misty, calm down," Ash began not needing to look at his best friend to know that her face was slowly turning red. "I mean it. I may not know much about girls (Ash ignored Misty's snort of incredulity), but I _**do**_ know you." Putting down the curry comb Ash turned and leaned against Tauros, rubbing the bull's snout fondly. "Misty, I think that you like him."

Misty's mouth hung open like a Magikarp's, eyes as wide as teacup saucers. Ash chuckled, his voice having finally deepened to a baritone as he hit his late teens and early twenties. "I'm serious, Mist. Look, I remember when you had a crush on me and you acted the same way, if only less violent." Both adults cracked small smiles at the (now) fond memories that appeared at Ash's words, at the failed attempts to act on said feelings on a few dates both went on during Ash's time between Sinnoh and Unova. The words "utter disaster" were not enough to describe the absolute catastrophe the dates turned out to be; the only really good things that came out of the failed dates was an increased bond of friendship between the two and a new view on the world and "other people" than before.

After a moment Misty stopped smiling and looked at Ash, stating, "Ash. If you absolutely 100% believe that I like Oak then I want you to, to," Misty looked around for something to say, something that Ash would refuse to do in an effort to convince him (herself) that this, this, this _whatever_ with Oak was nothing, was stupid and was absolutely ridiculous; after a few moments with Ash observing his friend, a neutral expression on his face and Tauros resting his head on his trainer's shoulder Misty smirked.

"Alright, Ash Ketchum, here's the deal. If you are absolutely 100% sure that I, er, _like _Gary Oak (she ignored Ash's fake cough that covered a word that suspiciously sounded like "love") then I want you to march up to one girl here and kiss her underneath the mistletoe then ask said girl on a date, even if she has a boyfriend." Misty's smirk widened as she saw a brief glimpse of panic flash across Ash's face at her dare and she crossed her arms, more than sure that he wouldn't go through with it. She briefly wondered why in Mew she cared so damn much about this stupid little dare, why she cared if she liked Oak or not, why… wait. Why in the world did she care so much? Could oblivious, dense Ash actually have a point? Did she like him?

The two friends stared at each other for a few minutes before Ash stood up from his position against Tauros and smirked, turning on his heel for the main portion of Oak's Laboratory. Misty found herself disliking that smirk; in fact, she was _worried._ Oak smirked, Paul smirked, Drew smirked, hell, _her freakin' sisters _could smirk if they felt like it! Ash, well, Ash didn't smirk. He smiled, he grinned, he pouted, sulked, frowned, snarled and even remained neutral; however, he. never. smirked.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Misty cursed as she sprinted towards the sliding glass door, knowing that it was the closest opening to Ash and her that had mistletoe hanging from it (Oak had attempted to catch her underneath it hours earlier and she'd responded by punching him in the shoulder). Arriving she gripped her knees to catch her breath and looked up in time to see Ash grab May by the shoulders and pull her in for an intense-appearing kiss. Thankfully for Ash May's brother and father were nowhere to be found; Misty had a suspicion that if they had been there Ash would have been beaten to a pulp. May didn't seem to be resisting; in fact, she seemed totally accepting of the sudden kiss that Ash had sprung on her, if her wrapping her arms around Ash's neck and tangling her fingers into his hair was any indication.

Misty was so into watching the spectacle and her dare fall into flames that she didn't see Gary slip up beside her, wincing as he moved his shoulder and sent pain flying into his synapses. He looked up and smirked. Ashy-boy had a girl, huh? Gary was observant enough to notice that his once-rival-turned pseudo-brother wasn't the naïve boy he'd been concerning romance; nope, not anymore. Right now, he was very much involved in a passionate kiss-fest with a girl whom he _knew _felt the same way.

Gary was able to sense these things.

Glancing to his left, he saw the still-shocked expression on the Cerulean City Gym Leader's face and felt a piece of his heart sink. If he was being honest with himself (and that was quite rare indeed) he was _not _pleased with how this holiday was going. It was supposed to be a time for him to relax, to have some down-time before he returned to his ongoing research in Sinnoh and Unova… and perhaps, find someone to celebrate the holidays with in a not-so-familial friendly way.

Running into the auburn-haired trainer in town a few days ago had been pure chance, and he had taken it and run with it. Only problem with it was that her temper did most of the talking instead of her brain. Gary didn't understand it. They were both adults now and were supposed to be more mature than they had been at ten (a hell of a lot more mature), meaning that any meeting between them was supposed to have been cordial, polite and not at all ending with time spent in the local jail.

Damn, that had been irritating… and hot as hell. Even if Misty hadn't been aiming to get his interest she certainly had it now. Now, Gary had one goal in mind this Christmas: score a kiss from Misty Waterflower in any way possible, even if it involved stupid mistletoe.

"So," Misty nearly jumped out of her sneakers at hearing Gary's voice, "what's up with Ashy-boy and Maple smooching under mistletoe? They seem damn cozy for this being a sudden kiss." Misty shot a venomous look at him before sighing, crossing her arms and turning away from the brunet male. Gary turned his attention back to Ash and saw him asking – well, more like whispering, really – something into May's ear and receiving an ear-splitting shriek and massive hug in return. He glanced back to Misty and noticed a far-off look in her eyes and for a moment feared that the Water-type trainer still held feelings for the doofus in front of him. At the smile that formed as Ash returned May's exuberant hug Gary sighed in relief then wondered why the hell he did so.

"So, what are you thinking?" Gary asked after a moment wanting to have Misty's attention back on him. Apparently he didn't like sharing her. As the two watched Ash and May enter the kitchen he asked again when Misty didn't reply.

"I'm thinking," Misty began angrily but then paused, uncrossing her arms as something came to mind. Thinking back on what had happened just now between Ash and May (and boy was she going to get him because it was _so damn obvious_ that they were dating!) and how Ash had made sense for once in his damn life she came to a realization. Maybe… maybe it was time to let go of this seemingly endless grudge that she held against Oa – _Gary_ for being Ash's rival for years, for being an ass to Ash and his friends for years and for being, for being, well, for being him. For being so arrogant, egotistical, magnificent in battle, intelligent, handsome, focused… whoa, since when did she, Misty Waterflower, admire Gary Oak so much?

"Mist? Er, Red? You there?" Gary asked concerned at her long silence. Was she going into a catatonic state or something? Seriously, what was going on? He snapped his fingers in front of Misty's face, which did get her to react. "Finally. Was starting to get worried you'd performed some meditative bullshit and your soul left your body or something."

"Morbid there, Oa-, er, Gary," Misty shot back stumbling on calling Gary by his given name and not surname. Seeing Gary's puzzled look she sighed and continued, "I, er, wanted to apologize about my temper. I guess I was still holding grudges against you from when we were kids. It's bad form and immature, something that I should have been past long ago." She shrugged at Gary's disbelieving look and continued, "I mean we're both adults here, and mature ones at that. I shouldn't have started a fight in the middle of the street and been one of the reasons for us calling a jail cell home for a few hours."

Gary rubbed the back of his neck and looked away awkwardly. "Part of it was my fault I guess, so don't take all the blame."

"My my, is Gary Oak actually being noble?" Misty asked but already both can hear the teasing tone in her voice, a drastic change from the acid-filled words from earlier in the week.

Gary lifted an eyebrow in return. "I can be noble like Ashy-boy there, you know. I'm not all arrogance."

"I think I'm starting to see that," Misty replied voice unnaturally soft for what Gary knew of her. Looking at the young man in front of her Misty tilted her head and was able to see what other women saw: he _was _handsome, tall and tanned from his work on Sayda Island and Unova (Sinnoh was too cold for many days of absolute sunlight) and his eyes burned with an intelligence that fascinated her. Misty was drawn to intelligent men, that much was sure, and why she had never seen the absolute fascination and drive that drove Gary to finding out as much about them as physically possible before astounded her.

"I knew I was irresistible," Gary stated winking at Misty and causing her to giggle. From there the two began talking, and conversation between them continued long into the evening, with small breaks taken to ensure that neither starved to death. Ash watched his two friends with a smirk on his face and, gesturing to his girlfriend (Misty was sure to kill him later for keeping it a secret but, oh well) May to glance into the garden smiled as he watched realization creep across her face. At seeing the two talking placidly with each other May had an idea and, motioning for Ash to come over whispered into his ear.

That evening, the two (new) friends split a massive piece of pumpkin pie topped with a large amount of whipped cream, laughing over some of the stupid antics that Ash had done over time. They were just chuckling over one of the numerous times when Ash had caused his 30-strong Tauros herd to stampede when a chirping was heard. Looking around them the two saw nothing so, thinking it was a wild Pokémon – possibly Hoothoot or Murkrow – the two began conversing once more.

When the chirp sounded again Misty sprang to her feet and grabbed Vaporeon's Pokéball, more than ready to defend herself if this wild Pokémon dared attack. Gary, meanwhile, got to his feet more slowly and looked around once more, this time spotting a flash of white. Looking directly upwards he let out a sigh and forced chuckle as he caught sight of a familiar avian. "Mist, look up."

Misty hesitated for a moment, not sure if in doing so she'd leave herself open for attack but, trusting Gary to have her back looked skywards and frowned. Ash's distinctive Noctowl flew above them, a sprig of mistletoe clutched tightly in his beak. "Seriously? When I get my hands on Ketchum he is so dead…"

"Join the club," Gary muttered crossing his arms. He glared at Noctowl but the Johto-native avian merely flew around the two adults, mistletoe swaying with the movement. He chanced a look at Misty and saw a faint flash of red across her face before it faded. Glancing upwards again he sighed and looked at Misty again before muttering, "I think Noctowl here isn't going to leave until we follow tradition."

"What, you mean, kiss?" Misty asked turning to face Gary. At his nod she glared at the avian, seriously considering whether or not an _Ice Beam _would hit or miss. At the lack of change from Noctowl Misty sighed in exasperation and, looking at Gary said reluctantly, "One kiss?"

Gary uncrossed his arms and took a step forward, moving closer into Misty's personal space. "Suppose so." Misty hesitated for a moment more before nodding in agreement, moving so that she and Gary were a hair's breadth apart. Noctowl flapped his wings to hover in place, the mistletoe dangling just out of reach of being grabbed. The two adults looked at each other a moment more before coming closer, tilting their heads and allowing themselves to kiss.

'This is hot,' both Misty and Gary thought as the kiss lasted more than a few seconds, with the two moving even closer, Misty's hand coming up to cup Gary's face and one of his hand s landing on the back of her neck, pushing her closer.

After a few minutes, they broke for air and Noctowl flew away, job done; the mistletoe fell from his beak to land between Gary and Misty, both of whom were staring at the other.

"Well," Misty spoke after a minute's silence staring at the ground a moment before looking back at Gary. "I suppose it wasn't so bad…"

"Bad?" Gary scoffed running a hand through his cinnamon spikes. "Bad doesn't come close; that kiss was fucking hot!" At Misty's disbelieving look he continued, "Telling the truth here, Mist. I haven't _ever _had a kiss like that; ever."

"…Really?" Misty sounded so insecure that Gary wanted to take her into his arms and convince her that _no, _the kiss wasn't bad at all but deserved to be repeated again and again and again…

"Yeah, really." Gary licked his lips and moved a hand as if to touch Misty again, to feel her skin or hair beneath his hand but then stuffed it inside his jeans pocket, the other clenched into a fist. Glancing at Misty he saw her looking unusually contemplative, eyes narrowed in thought. His dark green eyes met Misty's cerulean ones and both shared a small grin before she extended a hand, a wider smile gracing her face.

"Maybe… maybe we can give this friendship and anything else that may come of it a chance." Misty said her words coming out more as a question than anything else. Gary looked at the hand for a moment, not moving; when Misty's smile faltered and began thinking that she'd made a fool of herself (again) Gary reached out and took Misty's hand in his, raising it to his lips to press a kiss to the back of it. Misty blushed in the moonlight and Gary genuinely smiled, quite a difference to his usual smirk. The two then continued their conversation, almost as if the kiss hadn't happened, except that they were sitting much closer than previously, heads bent together as they whispered and hands tentatively entwined.

An air current caught the sprig of mistletoe that Noctowl had held earlier and began carrying it skyward, headed for its next destination where the Christmas tradition surrounding the miniature plant would begin to bring people together. It had brought the two hotheads below together; who knew what else it could do?


End file.
